Improvement in electrical regulators for reeling silk from cocoons



I E. W. SERRELL, Jr. Electrical Regulator for Reeling Silk from Goeoons.

No. 202,125. Patented April 9,1878.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD W. SERRELL, JR., OF OASTLETON, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTRICAL REGULATORS FOR REELING SILK FROM COCOONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No, 202,125, dated April 9,1878; application filed June 13,1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD W. SERRELL. Jr., of Oastleton, in the countyof Richmond and State of New York, have invented an Improvement inReeling Silk gfrom Gocoons, of which the following is a specification:

In reeling silk from cocoons the operator has to exercise great care topreserve the continuity of the delicate filament, because if one ofthese threads breaks and it is unobserved,

the twist, warp, or other thread or tram of silk is defective and weakat that particular point.

In consequence of the care necessary in reeling silk, but little of itis done in this country, and there being no automatic device forstopping the reel, the operator frequently conneots the end of thebroken filament to the others, leaving a space that is defective.

The object of the present invention is to stop the reel automaticallythe instant that the filament of silk gives out or breaks, so that theremay be no defects in the thread. This is accomplished by anelectro-magnetic stop or brake applied to the reel, and brought intoaction by a circuit-closer that is moved by the thread. Thiscircuit-closer is necessarily of the most delicate character, so as notto interfere in the reeling operation. I also provide a switch, that ismoved to throw the brake into or out of action upon the reel at theoption of the attendant, so as to allow the reel to be started or to bestopped at any desired time.

In the drawing, Figure l is an elevation of the reel and brake orstop-motion. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan of themercury-troughs and circuit-connections, and Fig. 4 is an elevation ofone of the levers in larger size.

The water-box a, reel 12, and guides c are to be of any usual or desiredcharacter, and the threads of silk are passed from the cocoons in thewater-box a, over the notched guide-bar e, to the guides c, Where two ormore filaments are brought together and pass to the reel.

An electro-magnet, f, and lever-armature g are made use of to stop thereel 1) whenever the circuit to such magnet is closed, or the reverse,and for this purpose it is preferable to employ pins or teeth around thereel, as at h, to form stops for the end of the armature-lever g.

' The lever-guides i are applied to the silk filament at the mostconvenient place. I prefer and use them between the guide-bar e andguides c, and these guide-levers act as circuitclosers.

I prefer to use the levers in the form shown in Fig. 4, in which thelever is made of a fine wire, with a delicate pivot or fulcrum, 2, and acircuit-closin g fork, 3, the whole being balanced by a suitablecounterpoise, 4, positioned so as to tend to move the fork 3 downwardwhenever the filament of silk runs out or breaks, such filament passingthrough the eye or hook at the end of the lever.

The circuit-closer that I prefer is composed of two troughs or cups ofmercury, there being a conductor from the battery to each, so that thefork 3, falling into the mercury, closes the circuit to the electro-inagnet and stops the reel. It will be evident that if the stop or braketo the reel was held out of action by the electro-nlagnet, the fork 3would be upon the other side of the fulcrum of the guide-lever, in orderthat the circuit may be broken when the lever-guide rises.

I prefer to make use of aswitch, 0, in the circuit between the battery 8and the pin 6, that connects with the mercury-trough 7, so that when theswitch is in contact with 6, the

circuit can be closed from the batterys, through switch 0, pin 6,mercury-trough 7, fork 3, trough 8, to the electro-magnet f, and thenceto the battery.

After the filament has been joined, the operator moves the switch 0 fromthe pin 6 to break the circuit, in order that the reel may be free torevolve. Should it be necessary to stop the reel when the filaments areall in place, the operator turns the switch from the pin 6 to the pin 10to close the circuit through the wire 11. By this means the reel isunder the control of the attendant, and it is also stopped automaticallyby either of the filaments breaking or running out.

Reeling-machines are generally adapted to a given number of threads, anda guide-lever is to be provided for each. thread. Hence, When themachine is not running at its full capacity, the guide-levers not in useshould be removed or blocked up out of action.

I do not claim an electric stop-motion in it I 2. The combination of thelever-guides for the silk filament, the circuit-closers, theelectromagnetic brake, and the switch, substantially as set forth,whereby the operator can liberate or bring the brake into actionregardless of the tension of the silk upon the circuit-closing lever.

Signed by me this 12th day of June, A. D. 1877.

EDW. W. SERRELL, JR. Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINCKNEY, HAROLD SERRELL.

